4 Best Bathroom Wall Surfaces

Bathroom remodeling: after doing the shower/tub, counter, cabinetry, and floors, now you have to think about wall covering, too? Why not just good old paint?

Paint is fine, but moisture should be your main concern when choosing a covering. Unchecked moisture, both from tub/shower overspray as well as moisture-laden air, is devastating for bathrooms. Even well-vented bathrooms have moisture issues.

Here are five options for bathroom walls.

Peelable Vinyl Wallpaper

It Is

100% waterproof wallpaper

Pro

Easy to install because it can be unpeeled and reapplied more than once

But if vinyl wallpaper makes you think of a downmarket Days Inn, think again. Vinyl wallpaper has grown up and become sophisticated. Purveyors like Tempaper and Timothy Sue offer gorgeous wallpapers that have graced style and shelter magazines.

Just be sure that your present wall surface can accept peelable wallpaper. It will not stick to matte, flat, or rough surfaces. Also, it works best for indirect, ambient moisture. So use in conjunction with a lower wall cover listed below, such as beadboard or tile.

Unlike paint, you can actually try out wallpaper before applying it. Buy a roll or cadge a sample, stick it up in the room.

Large patterns will visually reduce the size of your bathroom. Verticals draw your eye upward and make the room feel taller. Horizontals seem to widen it.

"Bathroom Paint" vs. Regular Interior Paint

It Is

Paint that has properties that make it better-suited for bathrooms

Pro

Mold- and mildew-inhibiting additives

Con

Costs up to twice as much as regular interior paint

How can you go wrong with bathroom paint? After all, the paint is designed just for that room.

There is no true "bathroom paint." As Steve Revnew, VP of Product Innovation at Sherwin-Williams told us, paint sold under the "bathroom paint" imprimatur is paint that can be used anywhere in the house. It simply has anti-microbal properties that allow you to choose flatter sheens than you normally would in a bathroom.

With regular interior paint, the main thing to avoid is getting a flat or matte surface paint because their pores trap water. A classic way to avoid this is to use semi-glossy or glossy sheen; water beads up on these surfaces. But these premium paints with mold-killing additives let you have those desirable flatter sheens in the bathroom.

Ceramic or Glass Tile

It Is

Tile applied to lower wall surfaces like wainscot or backsplash

Pro

100% waterproof as long as it is well installed

Con

Tile needs to be applied judiciously to avoid overwhelming the room

Ceramic tile is a classic choice for bathroom walls. With tile, as long as it is properly applied, moisture will never be a problem. Since the days of the ancient Romans, tile has been used even for standing-water surfaces such as the insides of baths.

Design is your main consideration. All tile has grout, and grout means lines: lines create patterns which can either enhance or detract from the bathroom's appearance.

Too much tile can make a room feel busy, ponderous, or worse--like a public restroom. Ceramic tile used as wainscot usually stops at a certain point on the wall, around 36" to 38".